World

In Washington, Bao Bao was packed into a giant FedEx cage, a specially designed plexiglass construction, along with bamboo, apples, sweet potatoes, and sent along the interstate in a motorcade. Her keepers describe her personality as "very independent", sort of like a household cat. The giant panda population has grown, prompting an upgrade in its status from endangered to vulnerable a year ago, as The New York Times pointed out . (more...)

USA -backed Iraqi forces launched a large-scale military operation on Sunday to dislodge Islamic State militants from the western half of Mosul, the latest phase in a four-month-old offensive to retake Iraq's second largest city. Iraqi helicopters were seen firing rockets at the village of Abu Saif, mainly at a hill that overlooks the city's airport and provides the militants with a natural defence line on the southern approaches to Mosul. (more...)

Speaking to the BBC , Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif issues a veiled warning when asked about a push for new sanctions by Israel, the United States and Saudi Arabia . Zarif dismissed any suggestions that Iran would seek to develop nuclear weapons. When asked about the new US administration's tough rhetoric on Iran's role in the region and calls to review a nuclear deal a with major powers, he said Iran did not respond well to threats. (more...)

Mugabe, who has maintained a tight grip on power in the southern African nation since independence from Britain in 1980, is due to stand for re-election next year, saying the ruling party has no viable alternative candidates. "Then we take over, because we were not there in 1980", she added, pointing to herself. The first lady has said that if necessary, "I will push President Mugabe in a wheelbarrow or a wheelchair to bring him to work". (more...)

The settlements are illegal under global law because they are built on lands seized by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War, where the Palestinians wish to form their future state. One area in which Israel is keen to learn from Singapore is its public housing system, added Mr Netanyahu, who will visit Toa Payoh today. "We support the two-state solution". (more...)

A father of two has lost his leg after being mauled by a shark in Australia on Saturday morning. Cairns ambulance officer Neil Noble said they believed his chances of survival were high. One of Dickson's close friends, Simeon Ballantyne, said he was shocked to hear about Dickson getting attacked by a shark. The Cairns Post reports that a GoFundMe page has been set up to support Mr Dickson and his pregnant fiancée. (more...)

He posted rambling, expletive-filled white supremacist rants on Facebook, and in early January, requested an "iron" - or gun - from someone through Facebook instant messenger, according to the complaint. Authorities say Benjamin McDowell was planning an assault with a Facebook post stating, "Do something on a f***ing big scale.in the spirit of Dylan Roof". (more...)

Johnson. He ranked 10th on public persuasion, 15th on crisis leadership, 8th on economic management, 7th on moral authority, and 24th on global relations. "That Obama came in at number 12 his first time out is quite impressive", Brinkley added. Obama came in behind such popular presidents as Ronald Reagan , who came in at ninth, but ahead of Bill Clinton , who ranked at 15. (more...)

Wayne Rooney could look to leave Manchester United due to his lack of playing time, according to former teammate Paul Scholes. Although he's more than well aware that catching Chelsea is beyond reach, he goes on to add that United are now playing as well as any of the other clubs in the league. (more...)

Like when people changed their mind about the war in Iraq. When people voted on 23 June, I accept entirely that they voted to get out of Europe. "But making the best of a bad job doesn't alter the fact that it isn't wise to put yourself in that position unless you have to". (more...)

The stock is now moving above its 20-Day Simple Moving Average of 3.77% with the 50-Day Simple Moving Average of 3.77 percent. The trade volumes are expected to remain volatile during earnings announcement period, as many investors would reconsider their investment in Deere & Company based on the results. (more...)

The vote is a loss for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers but not a surprise in a right-to-work state traditionally hostile to collective bargaining. "If they were successful it would be huge, I think", Hirsch says. "We're going to save billions and billions of dollars", Trump said. "We are going to build up a military might so great that no one will dare to challenge it". (more...)

The meeting was attended by representatives from Russia, Turkey and Iran, as well as the Syrian government and Syrian opposition. Answering questions about the reason of the Turkish delegation and the Syrian opposition groups' late show up at the event, the Iranian diplomat quoted the Turkish saying that technical issues, late reception of the invitation, and domestic involvements with the Turkish president's regional travels, caused their late arrival. (more...)

The massive storm took aim at the West Coast this morning and will dump heavy rain across southwest California today, with numerous rain showers lingering into Saturday , according to forecasts. Most of the rain and snow will clear out by about 8 p.m. Thursday, and things should remain through the night. During that period, there could be combined seas of 14 to 17 feet and inexperienced mariners should stay off the water, the NWS said. (more...)

He was nominated by the president even before Trump announced his pick for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. David Friedman at the launch of U.S. Senate hearings to confirm him as ambassador to Israel said there was "no excuse" for his past rhetoric targeting liberal Jews. (more...)

Special prosecutors investigating the scandal filed an arrest warrant against Lee, vice chairman of the group's crown jewel, Samsung Electronics Co., earlier this week for a second time in a month with expanded charges. Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and son of the Samsung group head Lee Kun-hee, is accused of paying almost $40m in bribes to Park's secret confidante to secure policy favours. (more...)

The local newspaper said that four cars belonging to the North Korean embassy left the mortuary compound at 8pm local time. Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said yesterday the North Korean tried to seek help at the customer service counter at KL International Airport 2. (more...)

Trump-branded products may continue to see lower sales as growing consumer boycotts prompt USA retailers to back away from the items. "The women behind the brand represent a diverse group of professionals and we are proud to say that the Ivanka Trump brand continues to embody the principles upon which it was founded". (more...)

Only five of 28 member nations had met a requirement to spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense: the United States, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Poland, and Greece. The think tank said defence spending had dropped to 1.98 per cent a year ago, blaming the economy for growing faster than the MoD budget. "This is a pivotal time for NATO ", NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of a meeting of defense ministers on Tuesday. (more...)

You must be an online subscriber to view this story . It said an internal whistleblower had raised suspicions that management at Westinghouse Electric had exerted inappropriate pressure over the unit's accounting. United Kingdom trade association Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) welcomed Toshiba's renewed commitment to the Moorside project, in West Cumbria. (more...)

Most of the passengers - senior citizens returning from a day trip to a popular cherry blossom viewing site - were trapped underneath the crushed vehicle on an exit ramp in the Nangang district of eastern Taipei, state media said on Monday. (more...)

This is the first time the two leaders are communicating directly since Mr. Trump's inauguration as the 45th president of the United States. President Zuma used the opportunity to congratulate President Trump on his election as the 45th President of the US. (more...)

U.S. immigration authorities arrested at least 680 people across the country last week, and a move against DACA recipients like Ramirez would represent a significant broadening of immigration enforcement under Trump. Ramirez is reportedly challenging his detention in federal court, saying his constitutional rights have been violated. One of the attorney's representing Ramirez - Ethan Dettmer, a partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher - told Reuters that his client is likely the first DACA ... (more...)

Even more clever, the catapult was built into the top of the border fence. The agency said in a statement that it has seized the drugs, which weighed about 50 pounds combined. The U.S. Border Patrol agents dismantled the catapult system and it was seized by Mexican officials. The release did not specify if anyone was arrested related to the catapult. (more...)

He died en route to hospital from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, police told Malaysian media. Born from his father's relationship with actress Sung Hae-rim, Jong-Nam is known to have been a computer enthusiast, a fluent Japanese speaker and a student in both Russian Federation and Switzerland. (more...)

North Korea's media listed no such reports, but that part of the country's media is highly controlled and the South Korean's president's office had no comment on the event. The incident, coupled with the rumored defection of Kim's mother (she died in Russian Federation in 2002), led to his estrangement from his father. Speculation quickly spread in South Korea on Tuesday that Kim Jong Un might be behind the reported death of his half brother. (more...)

A USA official said the missile tested traveled 500 kilometers (310 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan and that it was launched from North Pyongan province. President Trump vowed to deal with North Korea "very strongly " on Monday - saying they are a "big, big problem" - following their latest ballistic missile test. (more...)

DuPont and Chemours will pay $670.7 million to settle about 3,550 lawsuits related to the release of the toxic chemical C-8, also known as perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA, into the Ohio River from a former DuPont plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia. (more...)

President Donald Trump says he is looking to work with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ease access to capital for female entrepreneurs. And we've entered into ground-breaking economic partnerships that have created good jobs for both of our peoples. (more...)

Hogg and Scott Spedding both missed penalties while France nearly scored a second try on 67 minutes but Remi Lamerat was deemed to have failed to have grounded the ball following a try review. "We're frustrated in terms of how we played but not with the result", Noves said. "We will mainly adapt to the Scottish rugby that you have seen evolve for four years". (more...)

While passengers initially seemed sympathetic when the pilot first mentioned her divorce, things quickly took a disturbing turn when she said, "Look, I don't care if you voted for Trump or Clinton, they're both assholes", according to Reiss. (more...)

In late January of this year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said the wall would cost $12 to 15 billion. Among some of his first executive actions as president, Trump signed an order calling on DHS to "identify and, to the extent permitted by law, allocate all Federal funds" to start building the wall. (more...)

Abe said the launch was "absolutely intolerable" at a joint press conference with Trump in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Tokyo has already lodged protests against North Korea via its embassy in Beijing, he said. The Japanese government chimed in with criticism aimed at North Korea. Step toward missile that can hit US? It is unknown whether or not Saturday's surprise missile test out of North Korea may have involved their newly touted intercontinental ballistic missile that Korean leaders ... (more...)

The Sir Ivan fire, near Dunedoo, had burned through nearly 50,000 hectares with an active fire edge of about 200km, Fitzsimmons said. The danger Sunday is more than 150, he said . Here's a look at another fire burning in the state. "On Saturday temperatures and winds will pick up, meaning an increased fire danger extending across much of the state". (more...)

He was elected with 931 of 1,260 votes. He will succeed Joachim Gauck, a 77-year-old former pastor and East German pro-democracy activist. In his acceptance speech, Steinmeier said that Germany should be an "anchor of hope" at a time when democratic institutions were under threat across the world. (more...)